Twilight of a New Era (1914-1964)

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This is a featured alternate history!

Twilight of a New Era (1914-1964) is a featured timeline, which means it has been identified as one of the best alternate histories produced by the alternate history community. If you see a way this alternate history can be updated or improved without compromising previous work, please say so on this page's talkpage or come on chat.

The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime

On the 28th of June, 1914, in Sarajevo (Austria-Hungary), Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir presumptive to the Imperial throne, was assassinated. A month later the First World War started.

In hindsight for many contemporary observers and historians, World War I was an inevitable event that would happen anytime. It could probably have started in the powder keg of Europe (the Balkans) or any other place. Too many causes or long term conflicts lead to this. The tensions of the naval arms race between the United Kingdom and Germany, unsolved territorial disputes, intricate system of alliances, internal political tensions, nationalisms across Europe, economical and military rivalry in industry and trade, imperial and colonial rivalry for wealth, power and prestige and colonial expansion disputes. 1914 is considered by many historians and laymen as the end of an era. Just picture that general optimism in 1910s in the advancement of society was replaced by sensation of pessimism and decadence in the 1920s.

The Point of Divergence (POD): What could have happened if the Archduke wasn't assassinated? This alternative history explores and develops that idea and the possible events that follow (butterfly effect, hinge moments and alternate trends). The main purpose is to imagine and built a World that would follow another path.

In that case, The lamps of Europe and the World, will bring out light to a New Era

Some basic guidelines

The Unisphere (New York City)

This alternative history is on a limited timeline. It only develops events between 1914-1964;

Economic crisis, like the Great Depression of 1929 in OTL, will happen;

There will be a World War I, however Central Europe won't be radically reshaped as in OTL, most changes will happen in Eastern Europe;

The United States will become an important actor in world affairs as in OTL, but it will have a splendid isolation and more interest in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere and Asia;

The East Question, that is Ottoman Empire disintegration will happen, but its aftermath will change the Middle East, Central Asia and Northern Africa;

China and the Far East will become a zone of conflict and radical change far longer than expected;

The workshop of the world (United Kingdom) will begin a cycle of decline and be replaced by the US and other countries;

The traditional colonial powers (United Kingdom, France, Italy, Portugal, Belgium and Netherlands) will have to change to meet up with the challenges of economic development, political change and nationalism;